More than 25 million Americans are currently starting or running new businesses, proving entrepreneurship to be a popular career path. However, one of the biggest challenges that many business owners face is being able to expand their customer base and grow as a company. Luckily, for those who own craft businesses, growing and expanding doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are some easy ways you can do so and achieve success along the way.
The importance of networking
Networking is an important tool no matter what kind of business you’re running, though, for a craft business, networking has never been easier. For instance, creating an online presence can be a great tool for networking and getting your business’ name out there. Building a following and interacting with potential customers can allow you to get a feel for what people like and dislike, as you can post photos of your merchandise and receive productive feedback remotely. In fact, 77% of small businesses in the United States use social media to carry out things like marketing and customer service, proving it’s popularity.
Attending events aimed for craft businesses can also help you to garner new attention, both locally and nationally. Events like craft shows, state fairs, and other public affairs that allow you to be a temporary vendor are all opportunities to network and make personal connections with other craft business owners and customers. Not only can you sell your merchandise at these events, but you can take custom orders and garner a feel for your competition and what your customers like. Face-to-face customer interaction is a major benefit as well, as it can leave a customer feeling positive about your business.
Online options
For craft businesses based on physical premises, there are many ways to expand and grow on the internet aside from social media. Offering online services is a great way to do so and can be easily achieved through offers like subscription boxes. Offering a monthly subscription that provides a small collection of your merchandise right to customers’ doors creates a stress-free and convenient way of shopping. Subscription boxes not only give customers a convenient taste of what you have to offer in one box, but many may give a subscription as a gift, which even further expands your customer base. And, starting a subscription box doesn’t have to be difficult. After figuring out the price points, curating your boxes can be a creative and fun task for all craft business owners. Themes, color schemes, and product choice can all make your subscription box unique to your company and give the customer something to look forward to on a regular basis.
If you don’t already, offering your craft products for sale online can allow you to continue to grow nationally and internationally through online platforms such as Amazon and Etsy. Even something as simple as creating a page and selling on Facebook can bring in a new client base. This can be especially helpful to those who don’t have previous experience in selling merchandise online by simplifying the process.
Starting and running a new craft business is quite the achievement, though there are some roadblocks that you may encounter, such as growth and expansion. However, gaining traction and new customers doesn’t have to be difficult. With methods such as selling online, offering something new like a subscription box, or setting up social media channels, you can make your journey much easier.